Haery c



(No Model.)

'H. G. STANLEY. FOLDING STEP FOR GAR .BERTHS.

No. 482,391. Patented Sept. 13, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY G. STANLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FOLDING STEP FOR CAR-BERTHS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 482,391, datedSeptember 13, 1892.

Application filed November 21,1891. Serial No. 412,640. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY O. STANLEY, of New York city, in the countyand State of New York, have invented new and useful Folding Steps forBerths in Cars and Vessels, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

The object of this invention is to provide simple, practical, andinexpensive folding steps to be located along the front rail of an upperberth in a sleeping-car or steamboat and furnish convenient means forentrance to and exit from the berth by an occupant.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination ofparts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a sleeping-car in part, an upperberth therein, and the improvement shown connected to the berth andlowered for use. Fig. 2 is a detached and enlarged View of a berth witha mattress thereon, broken away to expose details of construction of thefolding steps shown in folded condition; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged,detached, and broken view of a part of the berth-frame and part of thesteps, the latter being in opened adjustment.

The essential features of the invention consist in the provision of alight strong ladder, which is made to fold into the form of an elongatedbar that is loosely secured to an upper berth of a car or steamer and isadapted for location within a slot in the front rail of the berth, andalso that when projected laterally from the berth-rail will be caused toassume the form of a step-ladder that may be given a suitableinclination to engage the floor with its lower end, and thus provide aconvenient and safe means for ascent to or descent from the upper berthto which it is attached. As usual, the frameA of the upper berth is maderectangular of a proper length and width to receive a mattress B, whichis sustained in position by any preferred means. The front rail a of theberth is, by preference, laterally and longitudinally slotted, as at b,to receive the folded step-ladder C, the proportionate length of whichlatter permits it to enter the slot, as shown in Fig. 2.

The construction of the folding step-ladder O is shown clearly in Fig.3, and, as represented, consists of two side bars a c, that arechanneled to receive the end portions of the series of step-pieces d,which are provided with clip-plates e or equivalent devices to afford ajointed connection of the steps with the bars, wherein they lie when theladder is folded so as to permit it to occupy the slot 1) or lieadjacent to the front rail a, if said rail is not slotted.

As a preferred mechanism for connecting the folding ladder O with theframe end piece A, the cylindrical slide-bar g is provided, which isloosely held in a plane parallel with the frame-top surface by thecap-boxes h or their equivalents, so as to allow said bar to be slidtherein toward or from the slot 17. The end of the slide-bar g that isnearest to the front rail 01, of the berth-frame is connected with apreferably cylindrical bar-piece g by a rule-joint i, which adapts thelatter to fold in one direction, as shown in Fig. 2.. The bar-piece g ispivoted to the upper end of the outer side bar 0' of the ladder C, andthe end of the slide-bar g is firmly affixed to the inner side bar 0 ofsaid ladder near to the rule-joint i, so that the bar-piece g becomesatop cross bar for the ladder, having such a jointed connection as willallow the side bars of the latter to fold toward each other until theiredges will impinge and produce a hollow rectangular bar.

Upon the portion of the slide-bar g between the rule-joint 1 and onecap-box h a spiral spring m is mounted, which spring has one end minterlocked loosely with a guidebar n and its opposite end portion mprojected as a limb along the inner side of the side bar 0 and theretosecured at its outer terminal, whereby the torsional force of the springwill be exerted to lift the ladder G into a horizontal position when thelatter is unrestrained, and to insure the arrest of the ladder at apoint where its rails c 0 will align with the slot b a stud 0 isprojected from the slide-bar '9, so as to strike against the inner sideof the top cross-bar A of the berth-frame when the rails c c are in theposition mentioned. As

shown, the guide-bar n is formed as an elongated staple, having its mainportion proected sufficiently from the side of the framepiece A toreceive the looped end m of the spring 771-, while its ends are bent atright angles from said main portion to be driven into the frame-piecementioned. Upon the outer side of the ladder side bar 0 at any preferredpoint, a handle-piece p is secured, this being preferably given the formof a swinging bail, as shown in Fig. 2, and located in a recess thatwill avoid its projection beyond the general surface of the bar.

When the ladder is not in use, the folded side bars 0 c of the same willlie within the slot 12 and the slide-bar extension g also, and to putthe device in service the handlep is grasped and pulled upon, which willunfold the ladder. Pressure is now applied to depress the free end ofthe ladder until it is in contact with the floor of the car orstate-room, when the person desiring to enter the top berth is thusenabled to do so with ease and safety, the steps being folded and theladder returned to a normal position within the berth front rail a whenthe traveler is within the berth. 7

To descend from the top berth of a car or stateroom of a vessel which isfurnished with the lmprovement, it is only necessary to reach from theberth and manipulate the handlepiece 1) so as to draw the outer side bar0' outwardly far enough to unfold the ladder G, whicl may then be pushedupon so as to depress it into an inclined position, as indicated in Fig.1, when the berth occupant may descendand then replace the device, asbefore explained, so as to remove it from obstructing the floor-space infront of the berth, that may also be folded upwardly in the ordinary waywhen the car is to be converted for daylight service into a seatedapartment.

It is evident that the spring connection may be slightly changed withoutdeparture from the spirit and scope of my invention and that theslotting of the front berth-rail a. may be dispensed with, if desired.HenceI do not wish to limit the construction to such'preclse forms asthe drawings exhibit with re gard to these features.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and'desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with acar or state-room berth, of a ladder pivotedby one end to rock into a plane parallel with the rails of the berth andadapted to fold toward the berths front rail when elevated,substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a berth-frame, of a folding ladder secured byits upper end to the upper end of the berth and means to elevate theladder and retain it parallel with the front rail of said berth-frame,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with aberth-frame, of a ladder composed of twochanneled side bars and jointed step-piecesadapted to lie in thechannels of the bars and a device which elevates and normally retainsthe ladder in a plane parallel with the front rail of the berthframe,substantially as described.

4. The com bination,with a berth-frame having its front rail slotted, ofa folding ladder which incloses its steps when folded and is looselyheld in connection with the frame near one end and adapted to occupy theslot of the frame-rail when in a; folded condition, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination, with a rectangular berth-frame, a slide-bar looselysecured on the top bar of the frame, and a torsional spring thereon, ofa folding ladder having its top cross-bar rule-jointed to the end of theslidebar and a side bar thereof engaged by one end of the torsion-spring, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a rectangular berth-frame having its frontcross-bar longitudinally and laterally slotted, a slide-bar looselysecured on the inner side of the top cross-piece of the berth-frame, soas to be adapted to slide longitudinally, an extensionpiece rule-jointedon one end of the slide-bar, a torsion-spring on said bar, and aguide-bar loosely engaged by one end of the torsionspring, of a laddercomprising two channeled side bars and a series of step-pieces jointedat their ends within the channels of the side bars, the extension-pieceof the slide-bar being joined at one end to the outer side bar of theladder and the inner side bar thereof connected with the remaining endof the torsion-spring, substantially as described.

HARRY O. STANLEY.

W'itnesses:

HOMER A. MAXWELL, ISAAC J. DANZQES.

IOC

